The National Affairs Desk of Glorious Noise

The girl who just can't take a hint keeps taking hits. Former top staffers for U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris say she made them reverse a decision not to submit a contractor's $10 million appropriation request last year. The contractor? Mitchell Wade, who is a key player in the Duke Cunningham case. You remember Duke, he cried on TV a couple months ago when he had to plead guilty to taking bribes.

According to Harris' staffers, the Congresswoman directed them to reverse their decision not to submit the request even though it was weeks past the deadline for such requests and difficult to understand with "military jargon." Why would Harris overrule her own staff on such a decision? It might be because Wade spent up to $2,800 entertaining Harris at one of Washington's most expensive restaurants. It was also at this dinner that Wade offered to host a re-election fundraiser for Harris.

The story is corroborated by Republican consulting Big Dog Ed Rollins, who quit Harris' re-election campaign earlier this year. He says the campaign looked into Harris' dealings with Wade when the bribery scandal broke so they could be ready for questions when they came.

"She told them [staff members] she wanted it done," said Rollins. "and she wanted it done now."

Defying the odds (and the advice from every single thinking Republican in America), Harris remains in the race and has put up $10 million of her own inherited cash to finance her campaign.